New To Me 1995 Mustang GT

[Terrorist 5.0]

Hi everyone, yesterday I bought a 1995 Ford Mustang GT, 5-Speed, and I am coming to the forums for general guidance as I attempt to turn this car, which is in fairly good shape (great shape for 5500 CA$), into a pretty good looking and performing car. It isn’t possible for a 19 year old to possess the knowledge on these cars that some people on this forum have.

Some background: The car was mostly highway driven, owner was a pretty cool guy, selling the car because it’s not very child friendly. Tires and brakes are almost brand new. Test drive was good, but the ABS does not work, it’s pinging somewhat excessively under low to mid RPM load, and the transmission is somewhat clunky, with the typical 3rd gear grind every once in a while.

Modifications that were on the car were pretty standard, window tint (getting rid of that), sound system (getting rid of that), head unit (getting rid of that), back up camera that doesn’t work (getting rid of that), cold air intake, headers, Flowmaster mufflers, racing clutch, springs and shocks, and a Hurst shifter. As for stuff that doesn’t work: the clock, the driver side window (motor works but window is not moving), passenger side mirror adjustment, fog lights, gauge cluster lights, and the passenger side and trunk key hole does not work whatsoever (can probably attempt to loosen those up).

To start, I changed engine and transmission oil, I went with Motel full synthetic 5W-30 and I used the proper automatic transmission fluid (can’t remember what brand off the top of my head). I decided to fill the transmission from the top so I could seal the shifter with some fresh silicone while I was at it, but the engine oil was interesting to me. I filled up 4.5 quarts and started the car for about 10 seconds, and after checking the level, it read way over.

Now, I know all cars are different (and this one didn’t come with an owners manual), but that is weird considering the car is supposed to take 5 quarts. I read up about it online and found out the dipsticks are really inaccurate. I ended up filling 5.1 quarts (give or take 0.1 quarts). The odometer gear is broken on this one (as they all are), so kilometres are probably up there, and it probably will burn some oil anyway.

Next up is differential oil change next week, and I’m probably gonna end up bleeding the clutch. The window is also a priority. I'm likely gonna end up leaving the coolant and the brakes as they are fine. The emergency brake is also really weak like every other SN95. So is there any suggestions as to where I should look next? Any weird quirks like the dipstick I should know about? I’m trying to get the car running right as it has a slight surge at idle at times and has a tendency to almost die when turning at low speeds, so I’m gonna try and clean out the IAC valve, and maybe the throttle body while I’m at it.

All typical stuff. I look forward to joining the forum.

 

[Daryl]

Welcome… I suppose (?). Interesting moniker.

 

[maillemaker]

I believe the correct oil is 10W30. Check owner's manual.

Mine also reads top of crosshatching when filled with 5 quarts. Make sure when you are changing the oil you pull both drain plugs - the pan is double-sump.

 

[TrickVert]

Welcome to the forums! Scanning your to-do list, one thing you *won't* do is bleed the clutch. Ours are cable-actuated. Make sure you pick up a bottle of *Ford* friction modifier for the differential fluid change (even if the fluid you use *says* it's already in there). The note above about the dual-sump oil pan is spot on. Otherwise, it sounds like you're on your way to having a fun project.

 

[Wood's 5.0]

Hello and welcome to the forum. 10W30 is correct for factory specs. 5 quarts with a FL1-A and call it good. Welcome.

 

[white95]

Welcome.

 

[Terrorist 5.0]

I believe the correct oil is 10W30. Check owner's manual.

Mine also reads top of crosshatching when filled with 5 quarts. Make sure when you are changing the oil you pull both drain plugs - the pan is double-sump.

The car didn't come with an owners manual so I am kind of at the mercy of the internet. As for the drain plug situation, I only saw one. Interesting though.

 

[Terrorist 5.0]

Welcome to the forums! Scanning your to-do list, one thing you *won't* do is bleed the clutch. Ours are cable-actuated. Make sure you pick up a bottle of *Ford* friction modifier for the differential fluid change (even if the fluid you use *says* it's already in there). The note above about the dual-sump oil pan is spot on. Otherwise, it sounds like you're on your way to having a fun project.

Wow, all that looking and I missed seeing a clutch cable . You probably saved me a headache of figuring out how to bleed a cable clutch . I was under the impression it would be hydraulic. Good though, one less thing to do. Thank you for the tip on the differential.

 

[maillemaker]

The car didn't come with an owners manual so I am kind of at the mercy of the internet. As for the drain plug situation, I only saw one. Interesting though.

Next time you get under there look at the front of the pan (by the power steering rack) and behind the K-member.

 

[Terrorist 5.0]

Found it, thank you.

 

[pat70727]

Hey there. Didn’t quite have time yet to read all the post but I have a lot of knowledge of about the 95 mustang. I sold my 95 5 L Mustang with a Kenne Bell supercharger kit and a lot of other engine mods a couple of years ago but I actually have a lot of performance parts yet left, send me a message if you’re interested in any performance parts or even if you just wanna chat, I’m happy to pass along anything I can to help you out.

 

[RAU03MACH]

welcome

 

[Terrorist 5.0]

Hey there. Didn’t quite have time yet to read all the post but I have a lot of knowledge of about the 95 mustang. I sold my 95 5 L Mustang with a Kenne Bell supercharger kit and a lot of other engine mods a couple of years ago but I actually have a lot of performance parts yet left, send me a message if you’re interested in any performance parts or even if you just wanna chat, I’m happy to pass along anything I can to help you out.

That would be awesome thank you

 

[Tac1]

Welcome to the forum

 

[shovel]

There's probably more petabytes of oil arguments on the internet than porn and politics combined, but there's also this https://www.tsbsearch.com/Ford/02-1-9

 

[TrickVert]

There's probably more petabytes of oil arguments on the internet than porn and politics combined, but there's also this https://www.tsbsearch.com/Ford/02-1-9

Last line in the TSB:
"This oil is an improved formulation to improve fuel economy."

I don't think many of us are concerned about the 1% improvement in MPG. I'll stick with the originally-specified 10W30.

 

[shovel]

Gas costs money and Ford also published another bulletin in 2006 that I can't find directly anywhere, but there are dozens of forum posts referencing it since

There's probably more petabytes of oil arguments on the internet than porn and politics combined

- the former URL of that bulletin was https://www.fleet.ford.com/FFH/Rental05_23_06.asp (no longer goes anywhere) and the text from that bulletin is quoted as follows:

"Why 5W20 Oil?
Some customers are reluctant to follow Ford's recommendation to use 5W-20 oil in their engines based on the incorrect assumption that Ford and other Auto Manufacturers only recommend 5W-20 oil in order to increase fuel economy. Using 5W-20 oil can increase fuel economy by about 6/10ths of a percent compared to 5W-30 and more if you are currently using a higher viscosity oil. This equates to an additional savings of 125 million gallons per year when used in all applicable Ford vehicles. Since its introduction in the 2001 MY, 5W-20 oils have saved up to 640 million gallons of gasoline in the U.S. or an equivalent 5.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

5W-20 oil is a thinner oil with lighter viscosity that creates less drag on the crankshaft, pistons and valvetrain. Additionally, the oil pump can pump thinner oil more easily, improving oil circulation. Any increase in fuel economy may not be noticed by the average motorist. Machined internal engine parts are more precise than the parts of 20 years ago. This means that clearances between moving parts are smaller and more exact. Thinner oil such as 5W-20 can flow more freely through the engine while still filling the spaces. Thicker oil is harder to push through the spaces between the parts. This causes the oil pump to work harder, which in turn increases oil pressure while simultaneously decreasing oil volume. A lack of oil volume results in a decrease of lubrication and cooling, which may decrease engine part life.

The lighter viscosity of 5W-20 oil flows faster at start-up compared to higher viscosity oils, which helps reduce engine wear in critical areas by lubricating parts faster. Valvetrain components at the top of the engine require immediate lubrication at start-up.

Oil additives are not recommended as noted in the owners manual. The American Petroleum Institute (API) certifies that oils such as Motorcraft 5W-20 already contain the necessary additives for friction, detergent, etc... The addition of additives may interfere and react with the additives already present in the certified oil."

All five cars in my household are specified to use the same 5w20 according to the manufacturer and they're all between 9 and 30 years old with 120-250k miles, mostly on 5w20.

If all it does is save me gas that sounds awful I have way too much money and the best way to get rid of all the extra money I have is by spending it all on more gas.

 

[TrickVert]

The 2006 TSB refers to more modern engines with tighter tolerances by stating "Machined internal engine parts are more precise than the parts of 20 years ago." The design of the Ford 302 in our SN95 cars dates back to 1968, so those "tighter tolerances" don't apply. Unless you run a 5L in *very* low temperatures consistently, or have a modified 302 with tighter-than-factory specs, modular motors are the first where I'd agree that the 5Wxx oils are beneficial and/or necessary.

P. S. The bulletin also seems to lean toward my 1 MPG being a fairly accurate guess 10W30 vs. 5W20. You must drive a *lot* of miles for that to have a noticeable impact on your yearly fuel spend.

P. P. S. My '95 makes 400 RWHP so the 42# injectors squirt a lot of go juice at WOT, and it also gets driven only about 2500 miles per year in fair weather. Both factors contribute to my personal "don't care about 1 MPG" attitude.

 

[Musturd]

im not running thinner to save on fuel . I’ll stick to my thick oil and high zinc content .